The holiday season is my favorite time of year. That glorious three-month span is packed with gifts, free candy, creepy costumes, lavish yard decorations, family gatherings and enormous turkey-centric meals. There really is no better time of year. However, it is also a difficult time for many gamers. Software publishers and developers are notorious for releasing a plethora of quality titles toward the end of the year. Who has the time to play “Fable II,” “Fallout 3,” “LittleBigPlanet,” “Gears of War 2″ and “Resistance 2″?

I realize that many people won’t purchase all of the aforementioned titles, but it is truly absurd that all of their release dates are contained in a one-month span. A recent study conducted by The NPD Group, which picked the brains of 562 gamers, seems to indicate that many couch jockeys struggle to fit every software purchase into their hectic schedules.

According to a Gamasutra article highlighting the market research firm’s findings, more than one-tenth of the gaming populace has a backlog of unopened software. This would obviously include collectors who intentionally keep titles in their original packaging.

Gamasutra reports:

A new packaging-related study conducted by analyst firm The NPD Group reveals that the average video game collection has 48 titles, and also confronts the demons of unplayed games, revealing that 11% percent of all households have bought games that are still shrinkwrapped.

There is nothing really earth-shattering about this study. We all know that gamers have a tendency to purchase more games (especially during the holiday season) than they have time to play. However, I still find this practice to be quite puzzling. There is no need to have a stack of unopened games collecting dust in your closet. Why purchase a game if you still need to finish another? It is not like “Dead Space” or “Far Cry 2″ is going to disappear from retail chains in the next six months. They will still be there next year. I have a feeling that some of these games remain sealed for quite some time. In fact, I bet a few of them never even get played. What a waste of money.

The holiday glut of games is already underway. Believe me; I am struggling to find the time to game as well. However, I don’t go out and buy three new games every week. As hard as it can be, I show a bit of restraint. I haven’t purchased “Rock Band 2″ yet because I still need to finish the PS3 version of “BioShock.” Hell, I didn’t get “BioShock” until I completed “Dead Space.”

I am not saying that you shouldn’t buy a ton of games. There are plenty of holiday 2008 releases that deserve your attention. However, what is the point of buying a game if it is just going to sit there? Isn’t that the same as if it were sitting on a shelf at Best Buy? Purchase one or two games at a time, sit down and take some time to enjoy them. Then, when done, go get one or two more. I know it can be hard to resist that sexy new copy of “Guitar Hero World Tour,” but don’t feel the need to purchase it on launch day.  Besides, it might be best to save something for next summer. We all know that can be a dead time for the industry.

Source: Gamasutra

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